What's quickly become the nation's top prep football camp was held over the weekend at Nike's campus in Beaverton, Oregon. The Opening, as it's called, featured future Buckeyes Eli Woodard (CB), Cam Burrows (CB), Jalin Marshall (ATH), Marcus Baugh (TE), Jayme Thompson (S) and Ezekiel Elliott (RB). Needless to say, they represented Ohio State well.
Despite sharing a room with Michigan commit Jake Butt, Baugh was an early star at the event, earning raves as the best tight end in attendance. Marshall saw plenty of work at wide receiver and was targeted often, hauling in several nice grabs. Burrows also showed well, earning All-Tournament Team honors after the completion of 7on7s.
As for 40 times, Elliott, who roomed with Ohio State target and fellow running back Derrick Green, clocked a 4.46 as he continues to see his stock rise (thanks in part to slick one-handed catches like this), Burrows recorded a 4.57, Woodard a 4.63, Thompson a 4.54, Marshall a 4.66 and Baugh clocked in with a 4.82.
The big news from the event, however, was the show put on by Plano (Texas) linebacker Mike Mitchell. Despite measuring in at 6-4/215, the Rivals four-star recruit clocked a blistering 4.39 in the 40-yard dash, propelling him to a SPARQ score of 154.47, good enough for a national record.
But wait, it gets better. Mitchell is a heavy lean to Ohio State and is scheduled to make an announcement in the coming weeks:
Hearing matter of when not if for Mike Mitchell to #OhioState
— Alex 11W (@alex11w) July 7, 2012
Let's not get too excited. Former Buckeye commit and now Notre Dame commit Alex Anzalone would like to deliver a message sponsored by #RealTalk:
There's a difference between combine kings and good football players #RealTalk
— Alex Anzalone (@AlexAnzalone_24) July 7, 2012
Hilarious.
Meanwhile, there still hasn't been an official announcement from Ohio State regarding Friday Night Lights, but a camp flyer all but confirms the details we've been reporting all along. FNL will be held Friday, July 27th at Ohio Stadium from what appears to be 7:00pm to 10:00pm in the Horseshoe.
If you or someone you know is interested in attending the camp as a participant, registration is $40.
DARK DAYS FOR PATERNO LOYALISTS. In an effort to get to the bottom of the scandal surrounding Jerry Sandusky and Penn State football, the university hired former FBI director Louis Freeh and his Freeh Group International Solutions to compile a report outlining everything that was previously known and unknown.
Now, after eight months of work, including interviews with more than 400 people, the report is set to drop early this week and is expected to be tough on Joe Paterno:
The report is expected to shed new light on administrators' handling of the Sandusky allegations, and also raise questions about Paterno's leadership of Penn State's vaunted football program, according to several people with knowledge of the inquiry's scope.
"Much of the focus will be on the culture of the football program, with findings that go back more than a decade," said a Penn State official briefed on the inquiry, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's going to be very tough on Joe (Paterno)."
Further, nearly everyone is in the dark:
Initially, the Freeh Group had intended to allow Penn State's trustees to review a draft copy of its report before releasing it to the public. After the Faculty Council and others at Penn State criticized that plan last winter, the Freeh Group decided to release its final report, without review or prior input by the trustees, directly to the board and the public at the same time, several sources said.
Following the news that Joe Paterno, despite the claims of his family, did use email -- or at least he dictated the contents of emails to his secretary -- the report will be the culmination of a very rocky two weeks for the Joe Can Do No Evil crowd. Here's to hoping the report provides a bit of closure so the university can move on.
2012 In the Huddle - Ohio State on sale nowTHE FRUITS OF OUR SUMMER. When Lindy's asked us to put together a preview magazine for Ohio State, we jumped at the chance. Despite the considerable effort that goes into putting one of these things together, there's nothing cooler than walking into Kroger with mom, pulling the magazine off the shelf and showing her your name in print.
Now, after a couple of months of hard work, the annual is on newsstands around Ohio and available for order online.
This is the fourth preseason annual we've helped to put together (the previous three were for Maple Street Press) and without a doubt, we're getting better at these as we age. With 112 pages of Buckeye coverage focusing on the upcoming season, this magazine is a perfect companion as you ramp up to kickoff and well beyond that.
If you've already picked up the magazine, thank you. The entire magazine was written and edited by the 11W crew and some of our favorite Ohio State writers.
If you still need convinced, here's the table of contents:
- Your 2012 Ohio State Buckeyes: A thorough breakdown of the 2012 roster by 11W's Chris Lauderback and Johnny Ginter.
- Know Your Enemy: A look at the 2012 schedule by Buckeye Sports Bulletin's Jeff Svoboda.
- The Homecoming: The return of native son Urban Meyer by Buckeye Sports Bulletin's Marcus Hartman.
- Year One: A deep dive into the inaugural campaigns of Hayes, Bruce, Cooper and Tressel by Eleven Warriors' Ramzy Nasrallah.
- Thriller: Braxton Miller looks to emerge as the perfect quarterback for Urban Meyer's offense by Bucknuts' Dave Biddle.
- Spreading the Power: A closer look at the power component of Urban Meyer's offense by 11W's Ross Fulton.
- Searching for Playmakers: An examination of the candidates that will emerge as offensive playmakers in 2012 by Johnny Ginter.
- The Mayor of Weightroomville: A profile on half man, half altered beast, John Simon by Buckeye Sports Bulletin's Ari Wasserman.
- Mr. Buckeye: Luke Fickell has defined what it means to be a Buckeye. 11W's Sarah Hardy counts the ways.
- Ohio State and the Cover 4: Ross Fulton explains the base coverage defense for Ohio State.
- Getting to Know Urban's First Class: 11W's Alex Gleitman profiles the members of the 2012 class.
- Friday Night Lights, a Primer: Everything you need to know about the nation's premier recruiting event by Alex Gleitman.
- Sizing up the Class of 2013: A primer on the Ohio State's 2013 class and targets by Alex Gleitman.
- Raking in the Chips: Comparing the talent level on Tressel and Cooper's squads by Chris Lauderback.
- Remembering Tippy Dye: 11W's Joe Beale goes way back remembering the life and times of the legendary Tippy Dye.
Consume!
THE FOOTBALL TAIL, BOOSTING YOUR ENDOWMENT. In 1956, Sports Illustrated ran The Ohio State Story: Win or Else, highlighting the pressure Woody Hayes faced in Columbus and the nature of Buckeye football as a "vast profit-making amusement enterprise with amateur dressing". One Ohio State professor was even quoted as saying the "football tail is wagging the college dog."
Today, college football is much bigger. More hype, more pressure and most importantly, more lucrative. But that may not be a bad thing.
According to a working paper published last week by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the largest economic research institution in the United States and home to many American winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics, winning increases donations, applications, academic reputation, in-state enrollment and incoming test scores.
Unfortunately, the bump isn't as great for the blue bloods of college football:
In schools where fans expect nine or 10 wins as the baseline for a successful season, though, the impact of a solid winning season might not carry as much weight.
I guess those schools will just have to settle for economic windfalls for their states.
ETC. Is Deshaun Thomas nursing a sore shoulder... Robert Nkemdiche walks back his package deal comments... It's time for the Redeem Team. Canada upsets the US U-19 team at the IFAF World Championship... Florida State football players are struggling with Twitter... Average dude, supermodel... Hello, awkward... Grandma be riding.
